Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Ductwork materials/Goodman, Owens-Corning




These are air conditioning and heating ducts [also known as HVAC ducts]. In the 70’s and 80’s ductwork materials such as Goodman gray flex-Duct, Owens Corning Flex-Duct, and others were widely used but soon fell from favor by most builders and installers. Then came the suits; those guys in suits from Harvard and the lawsuits they filed. Class-actions and other problems developed for these and other manufacturers and those flexible ducts wrapped in gray trash bag material were no more.

The biggest problem was that the material could not withstand ultraviolet light from the sun’s rays and the outer material would simply melt down. These photos show two things: one, how the meltdown begins by tearing apart the plastic covering. Two, how one homeowner dealt with it with plastic tie wraps. The repair is interesting but not effective.
Many homes are still equipped with these ducts; many without problems. For others though, replacement is the most practical solution when their ducts begin to break down.

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